Chair



M y 1967 G. B. LEVERMAN CHAIR 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 27, 1965 United States Patent 3,322,460 CHAIR Gerald Benedict Leverman, 9 Brightwood Ave., Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada Filed Dec. 27, 1965, Ser. No. 516,618 Claims priority, application Canada, June 10, 1965,

,929 6 Claims. (Cl. 297-156) This invention relates to chairs and more particularly to a rehabilitation chair for invalids who find it extremely difiicult to seat themselves in an ordinary chair.

Persons having stiff hips or legs by reason of casts, surgical procedures, disease or the like find it diflicult if not impossible to sit in an ordinary chair as it is necessary to bend at the knees and hips to sit in a conventional chair. The problem is particularly acute in the case of Leggs-Perthes disease which is commonly found in school age children. These children are required to wear an appliance known as a Taylor Walking Caliper which has a pair of upright members extending from the floor to the childs hip. A ring secured thereto and encircling the afllicted leg engages the childs pelvis so that no weight is borne by the hip joint. Due to the inability of children suffering from Legg-Perthes disease to sit at a conventional school desk their education may be interrupted for one or more school terms.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a chair particularly suited for persons having stiff hips or legs.

Accordingly, in one of its broad aspects, the present invention provides a chair for the rehabilitation of invalids comprising a frame having a low center of gravity providing a relatively broad base, a saddle type seat secured to the frame member and disposed so as to provide a substantially unobstructed area vertically therebelow at each side of the seat providing a support for the invalid and an unobstructed area for the invalids legs. A chair constructed in accordance with the present in vention includes a seat supported on a relatively broad base thus providing the necessary stability without being secured to the supporting surface. The purpose of a broad base is to provide a relatively low center of gravity. The stability is accomplished by having the heat located such that the forces resulting from an occupant on the seat act within an area defined by the base.

In a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vertically adjustable work surface detachably securable to the chair adapted to swing away from the front thereof to provide ready access to the seat.

In a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a vertically adjustable seat and back rest, the seat being so positioned with respect to the support members of the chair that the area vertically below the seat portion is unobstructed.

In the drawings which illustrate an embodiment of the invention:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a chair in accordance with this invention including a work surface detachably secured thereto.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional side elevational view taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 33 of FIG. 2 showing an alternate position of the seat in broken lines;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary partly sectional side elevational view of a portion of a means associated with the seat for locking the same in position.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view of means for connecting the work surface and the chair; and

FIG. 6 is a rear elevational view of the chair of FIG. 1.

3 ,322,460 Patented May 30, 1967 Referring now in detail to the drawings a chair indicated generally at 10 in FIG. 1 has an attached desk or work surface indicated generally by numeral 12.

The chair 10 comprises a frame 14 with a low center of gravity and preferably is constructed of tubular members such as steel, aluminum, or the like. The frame 14 includes a pair of inverted U-shaped members 15 each of which has a pair of support members or legs and an integral interconnecting portion 21. The legs 20 have floor engaging ends preferably provided with conventional cup-shaped glides of plastic or other suitable material. Transverse elements 24 are secured as by welding between the lower portion of the legs 20 of each U-shaped member 15 providing reinforcing for the legs 20. The U- shaped members 15 are interconnected by members 26 and 27 which have their opposed ends secured to transverse elements 24. The upper portion of the members 15 are joined by an element 29 which has its ends secured to the interconnecting portions 21 of the Ushaped members 15.

It will be noted that the transverse elements 24 are longer than the interconnecting members 21 and that the length of the members 26 and 27 is greater than the effective length of the element 29. Thus a relatively broad base is provided for the chair 10. It will also be noted that the member 27 is spaced from a plane passing through the leading edge of the base formed by the floor engaging ends of the legs 20. Effectively the member 27 is disposed within a plane area bounded by the legs 20.

A bracket 30 secured as by bolts or welding to the member 27 intermediate its ends has upstanding apertured flanges 32 which receive the lower end of a vertical member 34 therebetween. The upstanding member 34 has two side walls 35 and an interconnecting wall 37 so as to define a rearwardly facing channel 38 as shown more clearly in FIG. 6. The member 34 is pivotally secured to the bracket 30 as by a suitable pin or bolt passing through aligned apertures therein.

A bracket 40 similar to bracket 30 described above, is bolted or otherwise secured to the element 29 and has its flanges 42 extending horizontally to receive an upper portion of the upstanding member34 therebetween. It will be noted that the element 29 is spaced closer to the trailing edge of the plane of the base than to the leading edge of the plane of the base. A plurality of aligned adjustment holes are provided in the flanges 42 and a pin or the like passing through selected apertures and through aligned apertures in the upstanding member 34 secures the member 34 to the frame element 29.

A seat which can be straddled by the occupant such as a conventional saddle seat 50 of the type used on motor cycles is secured adjacent the outer end of a rod or tubular element 52 in the usual manner through the use of a clamp 53 provided on the seat 50. The inner end of the rod 52 is pivotally secured to move in a horizontal plane by a bolt 54 to a semi-circular plate 55, which is in turn secured as by welding to a clamp 56 provided on the vertical member 34.

The semi-circular plate 55 has at least two notches 58 and 59 in its curved edge to receive a dog or projection 60 (see FIG. 2) on the underside of a latch 62. The end of latch 62 remote from the projection 60 is pivotally secured to the rod 52 as by a machine screw 63.

The clamp 56 associated with the seat 50 includes a channel member 65 having an interconnecting wall 68 and spaced apart walls 66 adapted slidably to receive the upstanding member 34 therebetween. A stud 70 extending through the wall 68 and having its one end secured thereto as by welding also extends through a longitudinal slot 72 provided in the wall 37 of the vertical member 34. The free end of the stud 70 is threaded and extends through an apertured clamp plate 74 to be threadedly engaged by a manually operable disk 75. A second stud 73 (see FIG. 6) provided on the wall 68 extends into slot 72 to prevent binding of the member as it slides on the vertical member 34.

The clamp plate 74 extends across the vertical member 34 between the walls 66 of the channel member 65. A pair of grooves 77 provided at the side edges of the plate 74 are adapted to receive the edges of the walls 35 of the vertical member 34 and engage the walls 35 as the disk is rotated to tighten the clamp 56.

As shown more clearly in FIG. 4 the clamp 56 is also provided with a safety catch 80 which includes a manually engageable spring loaded pin 81 extending through an aperture in the side wall 66 of channel member 65 to engage a selected one of a plurality of vertically spaced apertures 82 provided in the associated wall 35 of the vertical member 34. A housing 83 secured as by machine screws 86 to the wall 66 has a bore 84 through which the pin 81 extends. A helical spring 85 surrounding the pin 81 has its one end bearing on a reduced portion 84' of the bore 84 and its other end engaging a shoulder 87 of the pin 81. Thus, the pin 81 is biased toward the wall 35.

It will be noted that the inner end of the pin 81 is beveled at 88 so as to be urged out of engagement with the apertures 82 as the clamp 56 is moved upwardly. However, downward movement of the clamp 56 is prevented by the pin 81. Axial rotation of the pin 81 is prevented by a stud 89 thereon received in a longitudinal slot 89 in the housing 84.

A second clamp 90 identical to the clamp 56 with the exception that no safety catch is provided has an extension 91 on the interconnecting wall 68 of the channel member 65. A pair of forwardly extending flanges 93 on the extension 91 are adapted to receive therebetween a similar pair of flanges 94 on a bracket 95 secured to a contoured back rest 97. A pin 98 passing through suitable aligned apertures in the flanges 93 and 94 pivotally secure the back rest 97 to the extension 91 of the clamp 90.

The desk or work surface 12 illustrated in FIG. 1 is adapted to swing away from the front of the chair 10. This is accomplished by providing casters 100 on a pair of downwardly depending tubular legs 101 and 102 supporting the desk 12. In addition a vertical tubular member 105 provided on one of the U-shaped members 15 receives a rotatable sleeve 106 thereon. A telescoping member secured at its one end to the sleeve 106 is connected at its other end to a frame 107 interconnecting the legs 101 and 102 thus providing for swinging movement of the desk 12 relative to the chair 10. A nylon bearing 108 is preferably provided in the sleeve 106.

An additional cross member 111 is preferably provided on the U-shaped member 15 to which the vertical member 105 is secured and the member 105 has its lower end secured at the intersection of the member 24 and the member 27 in addition to being secured to the cross member 111.

To provide for vertical adjustment of the desk 12 upper portions and 121 of the legs 101 and 102 are telescopically received in lower portions 123 and 124 respectively. Aligned apertures are provided in the lower portions 123 and 124 and a plurality of apertures are provided at intervals in the upper portions 120 and 121 respectively. Removable bolts or pins passing through the lower portions 123 and 124 and through selected apertures in the upper portions 120 and 121 retain the legs 101 and 102 at the desired height. The sleeve 106 is adapted to move vertically in the vertical member 105 to accommodate changes in the height of the desk 12.

The desk 12 is also adapted to be moved toward or away from the chair 10 due to the provision of the telescoping member 110. A clamp is adapted to retain the telescoping member 110 in a selected outwardly adjusted position.

The clamp 130 includes a pair of brackets 131 and 132 one of which is disposed on each side of a slot 104 provided in the telescoping member 110 and welded thereto. A stud 133 is secured to the bracket 131 and extends through the bracket 132 to be threadedly engaged by an apertured manually engageable disk 134.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 a further clamp 135 similar to clamp 130 described above is provided to retain the desk 12 in front of the chair 10 when the desk is in use by preventing relative rotation of the sleeve 106 on the vertical member 105. One end of the sleeve 106 and the bearing 108 are slotted at 136. Brackets 137 and 138 one of which is disposed on each side of the slot 136 are secured as by welding to the sleeve 106. The brackets 137 and 138 are adapted to be moved toward each other by a bolt 139 secured at its one end to the bracket 138 and passing through a suitable aperture in the bracket 137. A manually engageable nut in the form of a disk 140 threadedly engages the free end of the bolt 139.

A member is provided having its end secured to the interconnecting member 21 and having a portion extending parallel thereto thereby providing a recetacle for the upper portion of the invalids crutches. The lower portion of the crutches may be inserted between the member 24 and a further member 151 secured between the members 26 and 27.

The operation of the chair 10 and the desk 12 will be apparent from the foregoing description. Briefly the desk 12 may be swung away from in front of the seat 50 to allow the invalid to be seated after first releasing the clamp 135. The height of the seat 50 is then adjusted to suit the individual by releasing the clamp 56. If downward adjustment of the seat 50 is desired the safety catch 80 must be released by withdrawing the pin 81 from the aperture 82. One advantage of the particular construction of the frame 14 is that the invalid is able to grasp the upper portions of the inverted U-shaped members 15 for support as he lowers himself onto the seat 50. Vertical adjustment of the back rest is accomplished in a similar manner by releasing the clamp 90.

Assuming the desk 12 is at an appropriate height, it is swung in front of the seat 50 and the clamp 135 is engaged by rotating the disk 140. The desk 12 or other work surface such as a drawing board may then be used by the invalid and there is no danger of the patient accidently moving the desk outwardly by pressure thereon.

The seat 50 may be rotated to assist the invalid to seat himself by lifting the latch 62 so as to disengage the projection 60 and the notch 58. The seat 50 will be retained in the rotated position by engagement of the projection 60 and the notch 59.

Having described an embodiment of the invention, it is understood that modifications to and alternative arrangements of the element of the invention which will occur to those skilled in the art are within the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A chair for the rehabilitation of invalids, said chair comprising a frame arranged so as to provide a broad base, an upstanding member spaced from the plane of the leading edge of the base and secured to said frame, said frame including a pair of inverted U-shaped members each of which has a pair of said floor engaging support members and an integral interconnecting portion, a transverse element interconnecting said pairs of legs of each said U-shaped members, a first frame element interconnecting said transverse members, a second frame element interconnecting said integral interconnecting portions of said U-shaped members, said upstanding member being pivotally secured to said first frame member and adjustably secured to said second frame member and a saddle type seat secured to said upstanding member so as to provide a substantially unobstructed area vertically below and at each side of said seat to facilitate seating of said invalid, the seat being so arranged with respect to the base that the center of gravity of a person seated thereon acts within the confines of said base.

2. A chair as claimed in claim 1 wherein a vertically adjustable back rest is provided on said upstanding member.

3. A chair as claimed in claim 1 including means for pivotally securing said seat to said upstanding member for pivotal movement in a horizontal plane and means for locking said'seat in a selected position.

4. A chair for the rehabilitation of invalids, said chair comprising support members arranged so as to provide a broad base, an upstanding member spaced from the plane of the leading edge of the base and secured to said support members, a saddle type seat secured to said upstanding member so as to provide a substantially unobstructed area vertically below and at each side of said seat to facilitate seating of said invalid, the seat being so arranged with respect to the base that the center of gravity of a person seated thereon acts within the confines of said base and means providing for vertical adjustment of said seat with respect to said upstanding member, a Work surface, means for mounting said work surface on said chair for relative swinging movement away from said seat so as to facilitate seating of said invalid, and means for locking said work surface in a selected position relative to said seat.

5. The combination of claim 4 including means for mounting said work surface for horizontal movement relative to said seat and means for locking said work surface in selected inwardly or outwardly adjusted positions.

6. The combination of claim 4 wherein means is provided for adjusting the height of said Work surface.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,307,058 6/1919 McGrath 297-5 1,702,010 2/1929 Klever 5-81 X 1,711,526 5/1929 Forsyth 297338 X 1,917,440 7/1933 Finkbeiner et al. 297--6 2,374,182 4/1945 Duke 2976 2,433,969 6/1948 Wood 297-6 2,596,055 5/1952 Thomas 2975 X 2,759,525 8/1956 Ries 297-6 3,181,828 5/1965 Cramer 297-338 X 3,220,771 11/1965 Doss 297-156 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,072,262 5/ 1954 France.

1,229,105 3/1960 France.

1,366,326 6/ 1964 France.

DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner. JAMES T. MCCALL, Examiner. 

4. A CHAIR FOR REHABILITATION OF INVALIDS, SAID CHAIR COMPRISING SUPPORT MEMBERS ARRANGED SO AS TO PROVIDE A BROAD BASE, AN UPSTANDING MEMBER SPACED FROM THE PLANE OF THE LEADING EDGE OF THE BASE AND SECURED TO SAID SUPPORT MEMBERS, A SADDLE TYPE SEAT SECURED TO SAID UPSTANDING MEMBER SO AS TO PROVIDE A SUBSTANTIALLY UNOBSTRUCTED AREA VERTICALLY BELOW AND AT EACH SIDE OF SAID SEAT TO FACILITATE SEATING OF SAID INVALID, THE SEAT BEING SO ARRANGED WITH RESPECT TO THE BASE THAT THE CENTER OF GRAVITY OF A PERSON SEATED THEREON ACTS WITHIN THE CONFINES OF SAID BASE AND MEANS PROVIDING FOR VERTICAL ADJUSTMENT OF SAID SEAT WITH RESPECT TO SAID UPSTANDING MEMBER, A WORK SURFACE, MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID WORK SURFACE ON SAID CHAIR FOR RELATIVE SWINGING MOVEMENT AWAY FROM SAID SEAT SO AS TO FACILITATE SEATING OF SAID INVALID, AND MEANS FOR LOCKING SAID WORK SURFACE IN A SELECTED POSITION RELATIVE TO SAID SEAT. 